


And by their games you shall know them

by issen4



Series: Age of Machine Go [2]
Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 13:43:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6756532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/issen4/pseuds/issen4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the AlphaGo v Lee Sedol games. Written after the second game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And by their games you shall know them

**Author's Note:**

> Characters are the creation of Hotta and Obata. The reporter is an OC. Lee Sedol (or Lee Se-dol) is real, as is AlphaGo (but not a person). Baduk is Korean for Go.

"If you ask me," Ko Yeong-ha said when this reporter asked him what he thought of Shindou-sensei's remarks on the first two AlphaGo v Lee Se-dol games, "Shindou Hikaru is just trying to make the best of a bad situation." Arguably one of the most recognised pros in the world, Ko-sensei is known to have deliberately baited Shindou Honinbou regularly, creating a rivalry that is infamous in both igo and baduk circles. Their fans have been known to get into scuffles when the two pros tussled, most recently in the fight for the Ing Cup title three years ago. (Ko-sensei prevailed by a thin margin on that fight.)

What bad situation was Ko-sensei referring to?

If Ko-sensei was startled at this reporter's question, he did not react. Instead, Ko-sensei said, "For years, Shindou has been boasting about how his Go embodies his strength and his playing style. Many people found his philosophy attractive, and I have to admit that Shindou's best games are characteristic of... well, him. He wouldn't have admitted that in public, but he must be upset that a mere computer programme can play high-level Go too, a programme that doesn't have any sort of style or personality."

Perhaps, this reporter pointed out, but already many pros had commented that they felt AlphaGo's playing style was conservative and sophisticated. 

"Impossible," Ko-sensei declared. "That's just an illusion created by the fact that AlphaGo was running hundreds, thousands of scenarios through its algorithms just to put forward a strong response to each of Lee's hands. If you play against a computer, of course the computer would appear conservative. There's no real playing style, not like that of a real human player. Don't just repeat what others are saying unless you have experienced it for yourself!"

Chastised, this reporter admitted that he had never played against a computer programme before. Then again, AlphaGo was supposed to be on a totally different level than other, older versions of Go-playing computer programmes. What did Ko-sensei think of his compatriot's first two games against AlphaGo, then?

Ko-sensei was silent for a long while. "I have played with Lee many times in the past, and he is a creative player, and able to balance aggression with excellent defences. However, AlphaGo was clearly going for the win, and while I was not surprised at its ability to plan its hands well in advance, I felt taken aback at how well it countered Lee's attempts to take over the board time and again."

So Ko-sensei could see that AlphaGo was going to win, both times?

"Unfortunately, yes. It was obvious once you could see the territory that it had secured each time. Lee fought back as best he could, but AlphaGo's abilities were such that Lee could not counter them simply by wishing it so."

That seemed to bode ill for the future of baduk, this reporter commented. For the second time in this interview, this reporter was rebuked. 

"If you had not placed baduk on a pedestal as though it were some kind of ultimate game, you would not be regarding this as a setback," this reporter was told. "I can see how some people would regard AlphaGo's victories as a crushing blow to the world of baduk, but these people have simply forgotten that baduk is more than just a game to be won or lost. Baduk is more than simply a game. It is a way of life. It is a way of exploring what is possible within your own mind. Baduk is not an enterprise to explore what a machine is capable of. Of course, it is a technical triumph for the creators. But what does that matter to me?"

Put like that, this reporter was forced to concede that Ko-sensei had a point. Even in the twenty-first century, baduk remains a popular game in Korea and elsewhere around the world. Top pros such as Ko-sensei (not to mention Shindou Honinbou and Touya-sensei of Japan) electrify their followers with their unique style of play and the way they approach the game. It remains to be seen if AlphaGo will garner the same kind of following. I thank Ko-sensei for his time for the interview.

"Tell Lee good luck for the next game," Ko-sensei said before he ended the interview.

/end


End file.
